Picture it! A 205-foot tall roller coaster. Riders are seated in rows of 10. That’s right you. You read that right. Rows of Ten! That means that people are seated OFF the track! No floor beneath you! Am I scaring anybody so far? If not, keep reading, because it gets better! Now picture being in the front row approaching that first drop. Once your arrive, you’re held over the edge for a few seconds. And then… You Drop! 205 feet straight down at a 90 degree angle. Add 2 huge Immelmann loops and another Gut-Renching Drop, followed by a splash pool and you have one of the Greatest roller coasters in the history of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Griffon!
My Experience on the Ride
I’ll never forget my very first time riding Griffon. It was a bright sunny day. Perfect for a trip to an amusement park, which my family does about once or twice a year. What made this trip even more special was the fact that it was to celebrate my 14th birthday!
The ride had been open for a few months in 2007, so it was still relatively new. Meaning, the line was relatively long. It was about a 45 minute wait. But believe me when I tell you that it was (then) probably the shortest 45 minutes of my life!
Standing in Line…
It was me, my mom, my step-dad, my two sisters, my cousin, my aunt and her boyfriend at the time. The eight of us were eager to brave this new Beast and anxiously got in line. The line was nearly packed to the point people were outside the entrance to the ride. But it didn’t last for too terribly long, considering the fact that the coaster had three trains that each seated thirty riders.
As we were waiting, my heart was racing faster than a dragster race car. Every two or so minutes, I would hear riders scream as they encounter the terrifying 205 foot drop into the first inversion. Each scream, made me that much more anxious to get on the ride. I was excited to be riding such an Amazing ride; yet terrified of what that first drop was gonna do to me!
From time to time, to make us laugh and loosen us up from the nerves and anxiety of our pending doom, my aunt would squeal in a high-pitched voice “I’m so scared!” When we were about halfway to the front, she would even take things a little further and turn around and pretend that she’s running away from the ride. Her boyfriend picked her back up and put her back in line.
The minutes rolled by and we got closer and closer to the front. I could feel each collective scream that I heard from the riders. My nerves and adrenaline were in overdrive. When we got close enough to the front of the line, I could see the train that eventually awaited me. It was a thing of beauty with its color scheme of red, blue, and gold and three rows of ten seats. It was almost time to ride!
We were also at the point where the line divided into three rows, corresponding to the rows on the train of the coaster. All eight of us were in agreement that we would sit in the second row. After about five more minutes of anticipation, we were finally next to face The Griffon!
Getting On The Ride
We were finally at the front and there was NO Turning Back! Once the gates open, we all crossed over to choose our seats in the row. Me being the birthday boy, I got first dibs on seats. With it being my first time on the ride, I wanted to sit remotely close to the track. So I sat on the fourth seat in the row.
My heart was beating faster than ever, as I pulled the over-the-head restraint down and secured it on my body. I made sure to push it down as far as I could just to give myself the assurance that I wouldn’t fall out. The others did the same.
The ride operators then checked our belts to see if they’re secure enough. Then after an “All clear. Enjoy your ride on the Mythical Griffon,” the floor dropped from under us and the ride departed the station.
The Ride Experience
The ride slowly made its way out of the station, entering a 5 foot drop, before swooping to the right and beginning the 205-foot hill climb. We climbed the hill and all sorts of things were running through my mind. “Oh my Gosh! I’m actually on the Griffon! This is exciting!” “Man, this first drop is probably gonna kill me.” “I’m so glad I got on this ride” “Why did I decide to get up hear?” A bunch of conflicting emotions!
We were climbing the hill and climbing it fast. It gave me less and less time for me to think about what this ride was going to do to me.
As we were about halfway to the top, I looked to my left at the amazing view of the park and then to my right at that terrifying drop that awaited me and the other 29 victims…I mean riders.
We finally got to the top and the ride made a smooth turn to the right. The ride then quickly decreased in speed as it crept to the first drop. The closer we got to the drop, the tighter I held on to my restraint.
The train slowed down even more and tilted us over the top of the first drop. Holding us in agonizing anticipation. I looked down at the ground below and realized that I was either in for the ride of a lifetime or my final moments on this earth. After three short seconds, the train plunged down the 205-foot drop.
I screamed for about the first half of the drop. The other half no noise came out. The drop was so intense that all I could do was hold on for dear life. There was a ride camera at the bottom of the drop (which is literally the perfect place to place one) that took our pictures before we entered the first Immelmann loop.
The ride then made its way to a second drop. The train slowed down before going down the much shorter, yet still intense 130 foot drop. After another Immelmann loop, the train dips down into a splash pool that drenched nearby spectators with water (pretty similar to many log flume rides). And just like that, the ride was over.
Take a virtual ride on this Dive Machine right now!
After the Ride
The eight of us got off the ride and couldn’t stop talking about how Awesome the ride was! We then walked to the exit gate toward the ride’s gift shop to take a look at our ride photo. Our faces were hilarious. My eyes were closed and my hands and teeth clenched, with the intent on keeping myself on the ride (which I was literally not going anywhere). We purchased our pictures to remember that Incredible Day on that Incredible Ride.
I Highly Recommend This Ride!
This roller coaster is hands down my favorite ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. For just about every visit to the park, I make it an objective to ride the Griffon at least once before leaving.
To this day, I’ve ridden the ride at least a dozen times. I have even ridden in every single row (for those that are a little scared of heights, DO NOT ride in the front). The ride is still Amazing and can’t wait for another opportunity to tackle such a Beast.
I 100% recommend this ride to all enthusiasts. You will not regret it when you endure the heights and speeds of the Mythological Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg!
Response Magic